In general, adjustable draperies and/or blinds are mounted to permanently sealed windows, sliding glass windows and doors, casement windows, and the like to selectively cover the window. However, new homes and rental properties are often unfurnished and, initially, do not include window draperies or blinds. Since draperies are somewhat expensive and are usually purchased for long-term use, homeowners and renters may take several weeks or more to actually purchase and install permanent draperies. This is especially true if the draperies are custom-made. In addition, choosing permanent draperies often takes time because draperies are available in a wide variety of fabrics, designs, and color schemes. Consequently, new homeowners and renters may face both lack of privacy and an inability to block light shining through the windows for a long period of time.
The above-mentioned problems associated with uncovered windows are not restricted to new homeowners and renters. If permanent draperies need to be removed for replacement, restitching, or cleaning, home and apartment occupants must contend with lack of privacy and passage of light through the uncovered window.
In an effort to temporarily solve the above-mentioned problems, occupants will frequently drape fabric sheets in front of the windows or tape opaque paper, such as newspaper, to the window panes. These solutions, however, are unsatisfactory because such temporary window coverings are unsightly. In addition, these temporary window coverings cannot be easily raised and lowered to vary the amount of light shining into the room or to enable the occupant to view outdoors.
A temporary drapery or curtain kit, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,655, was designed to alleviate the aforementioned problems associated with prior temporary window coverings. More specifically, the temporary drapery kit includes a first stiffener strip attached to the top end of paper curtain sheet and a second stiffener strip attached to the bottom end. The first stiffener strip is coated with an adhesive to adhesively secure the drapery to a window frame or a wall adjacent a window frame. The second stiffener strip serves to weight the bottom of the temporary drapery to ensure that the drapery hangs correctly. The drapery may be selectively raised and lowered by pulling on a cord which is threaded through a series of spaced apart holes bored along one side of the sheet and through the stiffener strips. Although this temporary drapery permits an occupant to change the vertical hanging length of the drapery, the process of boring holes in the stiffener strips and the sheet and threading the cord through the holes increases manufacturing costs, assembly time, and complexity of the drapery.
In the recent past, a bendable sheet was designed which is easier to manufacture and has fewer parts than the temporary drapery kit discussed above. The bendable sheet, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,299, includes a column of apertures disposed along each opposed vertical side of the sheet. A pair of clips, secured to the lower edge of the sheet, penetratably cooperate with the apertures to permit the sheet to be selectively folded and raised to a fixed number of predetermined heights. Although the bendable sheet is easy to assemble and inexpensive to manufacture, an occupant may only raise or lower the sheet to set fixed positions, as determined by the positioning of the apertures. Moreover, when the sheet is raised to a position near the top of the window frame, the sheet must be folded over multiple times onto itself which results in a bulky, unfinished, aesthetically displeasing appearance. In addition, the bendable sheet is generally rectangular and is, thus, limited to use with rectangular-shaped windows.
These difficulties are among many which may tend to reduce the effectiveness of prior temporary window coverings. Other noteworthy problems may also exist; however, those presented above should be sufficient to demonstrate that such temporary window coverings appearing in the past will admit to worthwhile improvement.